If you guessed the heads of the visitors to your listening room when they view this new flagship from Pro-Ject — you would be correct. The Pro-Ject Signature 12.2 Turntable has become the flagship model in the rather extensive lineup that includes some our favorite tables below $2,000; the Pro-Ject X2 B and Debut PRO B which can compete with anything at their respective price points.
Over 80 lbs. of mass and 100+ high-precision CNC-machined parts comprise this rather stunning piece of industrial design. All manufacturing is being done in-house at the Pro-Ject factory, keeping costs down — which enables Pro-Ject to charge $14,999 USD (no cartridge) for the table.
Before you choke on that mouthful of strudel, keep in mind that the Kuzma Stabi R Turntable outfitted with the Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 CE Tonearm with VTA Tower Mounting is $18,139 USD, a Rega Naia with the Aphelion 2 MC cartridge is $17,000 USD, and the VPI Avenger Standard is $13,000 (no cartridge).
That’s a lot of strudel for anyone, but the bigger point is that Pro-Ject has its sights on 3 of the best turntables under $20,000 (we won’t even get into the tables over that amount) and there is no question that it has the technical and manufacturing capabilities to deliver.
Features:
- 3-point pivot tonearm bearing construction
- Modified counterweight system
- Motors mounted in full aluminium motor block for even more effective vibration damping
- Round shaped MDF chassis
- Spring loaded feet with conical tip adjustable from the top of the turntable chassis
- Heavyweight mass-loaded design
- Magnetically decoupled main platter
- Resonance-optimised alloy
- Inverted main bearing with ceramic ball
- Flywheel belt drive
- High gloss hand-polished aluminium surfaces
- Handmade in Europe
Specifications:
- Speed: 33 & 45rpm (electronic speed change)
- Speed variance: ±0.09% (33rpm), ±0.08% (45rpm)
- Wow and flutter: ±0.01% (33rpm), ±0.01% (45rpm)
- Signal to noise: -75dB
- Effective arm mass / length: 21.7g / 12” (304.8mm)
- Overhang: 13.2mm
- Actuation principle: belt-driven flywheel system
- Motor control system: precision generator
- Platter: 10.55kg (magnetically decoupled)
- Main bearing: ceramic (ball/plate)
- Tonearm: 12” aluminum, 3-point pivot
Technology
The 12” aluminum tonearm features a removable headshell making cartridge changes easy; it also uses a new 3-point pivot for extra stability; the original uni-pivot design was dropped for the 12.2 model.
The DIN plug is conveniently located at the rear of the arm’s base; there are both single-ended and balanced outputs. You will need to use an MC cartridge to benefit from the balanced connection.
The anti-skate & counterweight portions have been simplified and offer finer degrees of adjustment. VTA can be adjusted with a single thumb screw.
The high-mass record platter is over 25 lbs. itself. It is TPE-damped on the underside with an integrated vinyl mat on top (Signature Record Puck included).
To relieve tension on the bearing, a magnet around the inverted bearing well opposes another magnet embedded in the plinth (encircling the stainless-steel shaft). The plinth also features 4 stainless knobs that users can turn to adjust the spring loaded feet.
The platter bearing is a flawless ceramic ball allowing for smooth & silent rotation.
The motors & circuitry are now mounted in a full aluminum motor block, heightening isolation of the electronics within.
We like the new flywheel motor block and bet drive which can offer excellent isolation and speed stability; having used a number of VPI designs with a flywheel setup, I can attest to the excellent technical and sonic performance.
The Signature 12.2 also features Pro-Ject’s proven DC-driven AC generator which delivers clean, steady power to the AC motors.
The anti-resonant MDF plinth is ‘mass-loaded’ with steel pellets, drawing resonance away from the platter & cartridge; the overall weight of the plinth (minus the platter) is almost 55 pounds with everything installed.
The Bottom Line
$15,000 is a lot of money for any turntable and with so much competition between $12,000 and $18,000 USD from the aforementioned decks (and there are a number from Clearaudio, Thorens, and Brinkmann that could also be on that list) — the Pro-Ject Signature 12.2 can’t just be a gorgeous looking piece of Hi-Fi art.
It has to deliver world class performance for that kind of expenditure; and that doesn’t even include the type of cartridge that the Pro-Ject Signature 12.2 requires to reach those levels.
As much as I love the Denon DL-103, this deck requires something like the Ortofon Cadenza Black, Audio-Technica AT-ART20, or Hana Umami Red to show off what it can do — not that I don’t think it would do great things with the iconic low output Denon cartridge.
With the prices for state-of-the-art turntables soaring into the $150,000 to $200,000 range in 2024, the Pro-Ject Signature 12.2 seems like a more practical (and logical) option for those who have the money and the appropriate system to enjoy it with.
Spending more than $20,000 on a turntable has always felt like a huge waste of money — primarily because your money is better spent on the music instead of the hardware.
Did Pro-Ject pull it off with the Signature 12.2? We have a strange feeling that they did.
For more information: pro-jectusa.com
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